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Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Virginia's 8th Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: Pending
Primary: June 16, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Virginia

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Virginia's 8th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th
Virginia elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 8th Congressional District of Virginia, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Frank Ferreira

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/frank-ferreira-03a3139_ferreira-for-us-congress-introduction-activity-7351028359729934337-eDbD?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAFkcbNYBS5Pg71U5nRpogdMJ9wBfrpCAG7Y"


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


The times have changed, and so must we.


The times have changed, and so must we.


The times have changed, and so must we.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Virginia

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

The times have changed, and so must we.

The times have changed, and so must we.

The times have changed, and so must we.
My immigrant parents. With only a 4th-grade education but a "master's" in "street smarts" they raised a family, put my sisters and me through college, and purchased a home.
Clear and Present Danger - "Mr. President, I don't dance." "To whom much is given, much is expected."
I have nearly 25 years of professional government service at all levels.
Making an impact on people's daily lives. Making it better.
Working as a pharmacy tech. This was back in high school.
I'm a bibliophile - a lover of books. Like a parent, I loved them all. Something to be learned from all of them.
Always being underestimated - but always prevailing in the end.
The US is facing three existential risks:

1. Nuclear War 2. Climate Change

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
No - it should be changed to four years so that governing and not elections are the priority.
Let me get elected. In general, I'm not opposed to it.
A priest, a rabbi, and an imam ... I love to hear jokes but can't tell one to save my life!
Congress must reassert this constitutional power that has been abdicated by the current Congress where my opponent serves.
Oversight must be a priority, especially given the current state of affairs. American has no kings.
Foreign Relations Oversight


You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. Democratic Party $897,182 $890,913 $563,332 As of September 30, 2025
Michael Duffin Democratic Party $4,715 $168 $4,547 As of September 30, 2025
Frank Ferreira Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Daniel Gray Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Mo Seifeldein Democratic Party $63,280 $12,316 $50,964 As of September 30, 2025
Heerak Christian Kim Republican Party $1,400 $1,060 $619 As of September 30, 2025
Luke Nathan Phillips Republican Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Tony Sabio Republican Party $1,465 $29 $1,436 As of September 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Virginia's 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
12/23/202512/16/202512/9/202512/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Virginia in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Virginia U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 1,000 $3,480 TBD Source
Virginia U.S. House Unaffiliated 1,000 N/A TBD Source


District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) defeated Jerry Torres (R), David Kennedy (Independent), and Bentley Hensel (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr.
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D)
 
71.5
 
274,593
Image of Jerry Torres
Jerry Torres (R)
 
24.7
 
94,676
Image of David Kennedy
David Kennedy (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
2.6
 
9,956
Image of Bentley Hensel
Bentley Hensel (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
1.0
 
3,656
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3%
 
1,034

Total votes: 383,915
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for June 18, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for June 18, 2024, was canceled. Jerry Torres (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) defeated Karina Lipsman (R) and Teddy Fikre (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr.
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D)  Candidate Connection
 
73.5
 
197,760
Image of Karina Lipsman
Karina Lipsman (R)  Candidate Connection
 
24.8
 
66,589
Image of Teddy Fikre
Teddy Fikre (Independent)  Candidate Connection
 
1.5
 
4,078
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2%
 
503

Total votes: 268,930
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) defeated Victoria Virasingh (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on June 21, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr.
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr.  Candidate Connection
 
77.1
 
39,062
Image of Victoria Virasingh
Victoria Virasingh  Candidate Connection
 
22.9
 
11,583

Total votes: 50,645
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Karina Lipsman (R) defeated Kezia Tunnell (R), Jeff Jordan (R), Heerak Christian Kim (R), and Monica Carpio (R) in the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on May 21, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Karina Lipsman
Karina Lipsman  Candidate Connection
 
61.5
 
440
Image of Kezia Tunnell
Kezia Tunnell  Candidate Connection
 
19.1
 
137
Image of Jeff Jordan
Jeff Jordan
 
15.9
 
114
Image of Heerak Christian Kim
Heerak Christian Kim  Candidate Connection
 
2.4
 
17
Image of Monica Carpio
Monica Carpio  Candidate Connection
 
1.1
 
8

Total votes: 716
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) defeated Jeff Jordan (R) in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr.
Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D)
 
75.8
 
301,454
Image of Jeff Jordan
Jeff Jordan (R)  Candidate Connection
 
24.0
 
95,365
  Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2%
 
926

Total votes: 397,745
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for June 23, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Donald Sternoff Beyer Jr. (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 8 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican convention

Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8

Jeff Jordan (R) defeated Mark Ellmore (R) in the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8 on May 30, 2020.

Candidate
Image of Mark Ellmore
Mark Ellmore  Candidate Connection
Image of Jeff Jordan
Jeff Jordan  Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_va_congressional_district_08.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+26. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 26 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 8th the 25th most Democratic district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Virginia's 8th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
74.0% 24.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Virginia, 2024

Virginia presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 18 Democratic wins
  • 14 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D R R R D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D
See also: Party control of Virginia state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Virginia's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Virginia
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 6 8
Republican 0 5 5
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 11 13

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Virginia's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Virginia, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Glenn Youngkin
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Winsome Earle-Sears
Secretary of State Republican Party Kelly Gee
Attorney General Republican Party Jason Miyares

State legislature

Virginia State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 21
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 40

Virginia House of Delegates

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 51
     Republican Party 48
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 100

Trifecta control

Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R
Senate D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D R R R R R D D D D D D
House D D D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R D D

See also

Virginia 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Virginia congressional delegation
Voting in Virginia
Virginia elections:
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Democratic primary battlegrounds
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U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
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U.S. House Republican primaries
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (5)